October 15, 2012
Dear MSAD #51 Community Members,
Our school year is off to a great start, and I’m
impressed by what’s been accomplished in the six weeks since our students
returned from summer vacation. At all grade levels, classroom routines are
established and students are engaged in both academic and extracurricular
activities. Committee work in the schools, whether pertaining to school
climate, wellness or technology integration, is improving our quality of life
and learning. Teachers dedicate themselves to professional development relating
to Response to Intervention, literacy, and the Common Core standards, while
students prepare for NECAPS, music festivals and athletic contests. Spend a
moment with a Mabel I. Wilson P.E. class, the North Yarmouth Memorial School
math team, Greely Middle School’s jazz band or Greely High School’s drama club,
and you will be impressed by the different expressions of learning.
One of the primary initiatives for our staff
this year is our new system for teacher evaluation. In April, 2012, Maine’s
legislature passed a law that will require every Maine school system to have a
new teacher and principal evaluation in place by the 2015-2016 school year.
Though our choice to create a new system for evaluating our teachers preceded
the legislature’s work, we are pleased that our approach will help us meet the
new law’s requirements. First used statewide in Delaware, in 2011 we adopted
the Charlotte Danielson Framework. This is a research-based model for effective
teaching that involves annual classroom observations for every teacher, every
year. “Peer observers”, teachers who are trained in the area of evaluation,
provide descriptive observations of their colleagues while administrators
provide evaluative observations. About one third of our teachers have
volunteered and attended the training to become peer observers. We appreciate
our teachers’ support for this initiative. Having an evaluation system that
requires us to analyze instruction, as well as student results, gets to the
heart of good teaching. We believe the system provides the structures and
supports to hold ourselves accountable to a shared standard of effectiveness,
and to continuously improve our teaching practices.
Another goal for the 2012-2013 school year is
working to integrate the Common Core standards into our curriculum as a
district. Designed to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our
children for college and the workforce, Maine adopted the Common Core Standards
for English Language Arts and Mathematics in April of 2011. We are working to
align to these new standards which are now shared by 45 states. Teachers are
working together to ensure our instruction and assessments prepare students to
meet these standards, which will be assessed by Maine starting in 2014-2015. In
addition to the final or summative tests, this initiative will also provide
assessments that can be used formatively for ongoing check-ins.
A third important development I’d like to share
is MSAD #51’s Board of Director’s decision to adopt the Strategic Thinking and
Planning Report. Many community members participated last year, on either the
committee that produced the report or the focus groups that provided valuable
input for its creation. The report aligns the District’s vision and mission in
support of 21st century learning goals. Our administration will work with the
community in the months ahead to study the report and further develop
strategies to create a framework for its implementation. We will engage in
conversations about community partnerships, personalized learning, global
awareness and wellness among other topics, and invite you to share in these
discussions. You will receive information in the months ahead of opportunities
to join the conversation regarding how MSAD #51 can evolve to align with these
goals.
Finally, I continue to feel fortunate for the
support MSAD #51 receives from parents and the larger community. Whether I’m
watching volunteers read with students in the classroom, the coordination of
fundraising events such as the Foundation 51 auction or the Close Buy PTO
drive, the energy of cheering crowds at sporting events or musical
performances, or students honored for service by the Lions Club, we wouldn’t be
the same school system without the dedication of our partners in education. We
look forward to continuing to develop and build on these relationships in the
year ahead. Thanks to everyone for your commitment to our district, and I hope
you are enjoying our beautiful Maine fall.
Sincerely, Dr. Robert Hasson
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